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Implications of Cloning Technology

BIO's Recommendations for the National Bioethics Advisory Commission Regarding The Implications of Cloning Technology

Summary of Recommendations:

• BIO recommends that the Commission urge continuation of the current voluntary moratorium on the cloning of entire human beings beyond the current ninety day review period.

• We recommend that the Commission endorse the continuation of research involving the cloning (i.e., duplication) of human and animal cells, genes and proteins -- as distinct from the cloning of an entire human being -- because this research has already produced enormous medical and agricultural benefits for society, and promises to produce even greater benefits in the future.

• Although the Commission has not been charged with reviewing the issue of animal cloning, we recommend that the Commission affirm the very evident benefits of this research and express its support for its continuance.

• While we are not now aware of any practical reason for cloning an entire human being, we recommend that the Commission determine what procedures should be followed if and when a specific, compelling, practical purpose is proposed. We recommend that consideration of any such proposal comprehensively address all pertinent scientific, medical, legal, cultural, and ethical issues. We believe that any such proposal should cause the initiation of a dialogue including all appropriate segments of society, the potential beneficiaries of the research as well as religious leaders and others, to evaluate the ethical implications and acceptability of any such proposal.

• We recommend that the moratorium not apply to the research examples described in the April 1 letter to BIO from the Commission's Ad-Hoc Cloning Science Working Group. These examples include the use of adult or embryonic cells for nuclear transfer technology used to improve scientific understanding, short of developing an entire human being.

• We recommend that the moratorium be continued in lieu of any new federal law or regulation regarding the cloning of an entire human being. We recommend that the Commission strongly oppose the enactment of any state law on the subject of human cloning because issues raised by the cloning of entire human beings should be addressed nationally and comprehensively, not on a state-by-state basis. Continuing the moratorium should obviate the need for any state or federal legislative action.

• We recommend that the Commission express its concern that a hastily drafted, poorly envisioned federal or state law could inadvertently inhibit or even deter valuable, life-saving research. "Cloning" -- the duplication of specific genes and cells -- is an essential process in biotechnology research; the cloning of a whole organism represents only one type of cloning. Any regulation or law which refers simply or generally to "cloning" could prove devastating to millions of patients relying on research developments leading to new therapies and cures, and could eliminate billions of dollars of biomedical research by biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, research universities and the federal government.

• Finally, we recommend that the Commission support the patenting of biotechnology inventions, including genes, as a critical part of the process of developing new treatments.